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Finding the Keepers: A Framework for Sorting Through Family Conflict
I love the anticipation of hauling in a king crab pot. As the boat’s winch lifts the heavy trap from the depths, our minds replay all the variables that affect the catch: Did we use the right bait? Did we drop the pot onto a level spot? Are we even in an area where the crabs are? And then – the rush of exultation as the pot breaks the surface and we see a huge tangle of legs and claws clinging to the side of the net, the bait ball, and each other. Yes! My mouth is already watering. But…
Kathy Giles
Speaker / Writer
Archives
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Don’t Trifle with Tradition
I didn’t realize how traditional my family was until I tried to change them (the traditions, not the family). I made a slight change to a favorite homemade salad dressing for a recent family picnic. To my great surprise the family actually noticed, and they definitely did not approve. The faintly accusatory mutters of…
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Gratitude Combats Midlife Crisis
A Weekend of Milestones Prompts Gratitude, Not a Midlife Crisis I laughingly told a friend that this weekend was a midlife crisis in the making as my son graduated from college and my daughter turned 21. But while these milestones are significant, they are by no means crisis inducing. If anything, seeing my children achieve…
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Teaching Common Sense to Cats
An old dog might learn a new trick, but you can’t teach common sense to cats. We all know highly intelligent people who don’t have a lick of common sense. I wonder if this holds true for the animal kingdom as well? Cats are supposed to be innately intelligent. But do they apply all…
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Fitting Room Phobia
Reunion Causes Attack of Fitting Room Phobia It must be a conspiracy of fate that after recently purging my closet of an outdated wardrobe, I now need a new dress for my upcoming high school reunion. But in order to acquire said new dress, I must face one of my bigger neuroses, Fitting Room Phobia.…
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Platitudes Top the List of Pet Peeves
Everybody has pet peeves. As a writer, banal platitudes top my list. After chatting about our busy schedules, an acquaintance recently admonished me to “stop and smell the roses.” While I appreciated the sentiment, deep in my wordsmith’s soul I couldn’t help cringing at that unimaginative cliché. The English language holds a wealth of…
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In Praise of the Squeaky Ball
Whoever invented the squeaky ball dog toy should either be revered or vilified; I haven’t determined which. Our dogs constantly inveigle us to play. They bring tug toys and rubber bones and set them in our laps, hoping to prompt a game of fetch. They crouch, bunch and wiggle to entice us to wrestle. And…
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Bears, Backroads and Seeing What You Can See
I spent my childhood Sundays sitting next to Grandma while she played nursery rhymes on the piano. “The Bear Went Over the Mountain” was my favorite; I was an animal lover and the song was easy to remember. I also really loved the idea of that bear enjoying a ramble over his mountain just “to…
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Naughty Dog Deserves “I Told You So”
The Perils of Disobedience I do not ordinarily take pleasure in the misfortunes of others, nor do I gloat when I am proved right. With one exception. When a naughty dog of mine suffer the consequences of disobedience, I get to say, “I told you so.” Recently I supervised my dogs in an off-leash…
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The Supermarket Optimist
The local supermarket is an adventure best undertaken with optimism. Going to the supermarket triggers my inner optimist. Every time those automatic supermarket doors swing open, I anticipate a shopping experience memorably devoid of frustration, annoyance or embarrassment. I further envision departing the store with healthy foodstuffs, solid meal plans and money left over from…